


Ignis Scientia: The King's Hand

by star54kar



Series: All The King's Men [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Battle Scenes, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27092257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star54kar/pseuds/star54kar
Summary: About five years into the World of Ruin, Ignis finds himself cornered during a solo daemon hunt.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia, Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia
Series: All The King's Men [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977058
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	Ignis Scientia: The King's Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second story in a series of four vignettes that can stand on their own but will tell a deeper story when put all together. This series has been a little over a year in the making and came about as a result of a conversation in my writing productivity group on discord. One of the ladies mentioned a challenge that they had taken part in a long time ago in a different fandom where they had to write a story with absolutely zero dialogue. The idea of the challenge intrigued me and the plot bunny for this series bit me almost immediately during our discussion, so I decided to give it a try.

Ignis ran as swiftly as he was able, sweeping his polearm ahead of him so as to avoid running into any obstacles as he traversed along the rocky terrain. The intel Ignis had initially received regarding the threat level of this hunt had clearly been faulty. As a result, he had vastly underestimated the challenges that the daemons in this area would convey. Forced to flee when the numbers had proved far too great for him to conquer alone, Ignis strained his ears in an attempt to ascertain his current position. 

While it had been about five years since the loss of his sight and Ignis had managed to adapt fairly well to the persistent darkness, navigation was still not without its challenges. His increased awareness of his other senses had allowed him to compensate for the loss. With time and training he had regained his ability to combat the steadily multiplying number of daemons that had overrun their world. In fact, Ignis would go so far to say that his battle skills these days had exceeded what he was capable of back when he still had the use of his sight. The fact remained, however, that it was difficult to navigate when he relied heavily on sound not only to determine his position in relation to his intended destination, but also in order to be aware of the proximity of his pursuers. 

As such, it was difficult for Ignis to run under these conditions. He urgently needed to find a safe place for him to regroup so that he could contact the hunters for aid. Luckily, despite the noise generated by the pack of his daemonic pursuers, Ignis could just barely make out the low, steady, and comforting hum emulating from the runes of a haven in the distance. He shifted his course Southwest, following the sound and being mindful of every hurried step as he ran so as to avoid a disastrous fall. 

The daemons were hot on Ignis’ trail and rapidly gaining on him. Although he believed that he could reach the distant haven in time, he was also certain that it was likely to be a very close call. He increased his speed in response, moving as swiftly as he was able to do so without slipping on the rocks.

The sound emulating from the haven grew louder as he drew closer until his polearm crashed into a rocky cliffside. Ignis realized his horrific error at once. He'd approached the haven from the wrong side. This side was far too steep to climb as there were no paths or footholds, and there was no time for him to go around before the daemons had him surrounded.

With his back literally up against a wall, Ignis held his polearm defensively across his chest and readied his stance as the daemons closed in on him. He threw himself into battle with determination. However, he knew that unless he was able to break through their ranks and traverse around to the path on the other side of the rock formation, his odds of success were slim.

Ignis was overwhelmed and desperately outnumbered, yet he continued to fight, dodging and parrying against the force that beset upon him. All the while his ears were straining for a path, a gap in the sea of daemons that he could weave his way through and around. Unfortunately, the sheer number of combatants that he was facing were densely packed together. Ignis continued to defend against the onslaught of attacks, and he fervently wished that his partners were here to help him. Gladio’s impulse technique would have been especially useful under these circumstances. Nonetheless, Ignis couldn’t give up. He couldn’t allow himself to fall. He couldn’t, he _wouldn’t_ , leave Gladio and Prompto to carry on without him. He refused to allow Noctis to return only to learn that he had been slain while he was gone. He simply needed to focus and determine a way out of this mess. 

As Ignis strained his remaining senses, he was caught off guard when he suddenly caught a faint whiff of what smelled like the memory lane pastry that he had spent years attempting to perfect for Noctis. Quickly, he shook himself from the odd and momentary distraction. He could not afford to lose his focus, not now, not ever. He needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to make it out of this alive. 

A pair of yojimbos took that moment to strike with their long, deadly, blades from either side of him. Ignis frantically parried the sword to his right, but as he heard the swish of the simultaneous blows coming towards him, he knew he wouldn’t be fast enough to twist to his left and block the other blow in time. 

Ignis braced himself for impact, fully expecting the pain of the sharp blade to hit him in the back. A swift rush of air abruptly rushed by him, followed by the clang of a sword meeting another. Shockingly, it almost felt like when Noctis used to warp past him in the heat of battle. There was no one beside him, yet Ignis’ instincts were screaming at him that there was an achingly familiar presence at his back. Reflexively, without really even thinking about the action before he had already performed it, Ignis switched to his daggers and began marking out targets the way he had in the past when Noctis had called for him to do so. 

It should have been a fatal error on his part. The polearm was far more suited for this type of combat and had superior range, which was what he needed to keep the swarm of daemons at bay. Instead Ignis was shocked to hear the unmistakable sound of crystalline weaponry cut through the air. There was no doubt this time. The rushes of air that brushed past him were unquestioningly successive warp strikes. 

Ignis didn’t know how Noctis was doing this. He knew with utmost certainty that it was indeed Noctis, although he could perceive that his beloved king still was not fully here with him. Regardless of his confusion, Ignis adjusted his fighting stance accordingly. He concentrated on cutting through the combatants to his right as he painstakingly made his way around the cliffside, fully confident that his back was covered as he moved.

The sound of the crystalline weaponry swirled around Ignis like a shield, protecting him as he moved. Not a single blow from the pursuing daemons was able to penetrate it as he progressed. Painstakingly, he found the path up to the haven and scrambled up to it. The moment he was safely within the protection of the haven, the Royal Arms that had surrounded Ignis flew outward with an explosive force. The sound of the battle raged on for hours as Ignis hovered near the edge of the haven, marking out targets from a position of safety while Noctis systematically took out the seemingly endless waves of daemons. 

When the final daemon was slain, the ensuing silence was nearly deafening to Ignis’ ears. He strained to perceive if Noctis was still somehow here with him. Aside from the gentle hum emulating from the protective runes of the haven there wasn’t a sound. A gentle breeze blew over Ignis, nothing like the rush of air of Noctis’ warps, but one that felt completely natural. Tears stung his sightless eyes as the strong aroma of ulwaat berries and spice engulfed him for a moment before it vanished... without a trace of ever having been there in the first place. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated so please let me know if you enjoyed the story. :)


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